Dana White confirms UFC is developing universal uniforms for all fighters to wear

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Meh, it's still possible they could allow for 1-3 sponsorship locations on uniforms provided they aren't direct competitors of the main brand. I believe this happens in soccer currently although the sponsors are tema by team rather than individual player.

You say shark I say hey man, Jaws was never my scene and I don't like Star Wars

I actually have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I agree with what everyone is saying about it potentially hurting other fighter's pay. However, I think the UFC's vision (not just Dana White) is to constantly expand their company into a full blown mainstream sports entity. One way to do that is by standardizing many aspects of it. Also bringing one (or many) huge sponsors to cover all their attire across fighters could overall increase the average fighter pay. I''m really interesting in seeing how this one plays out on many different levels.

If it leads to fighter pay going up proportionally then I'm ok with it. In the long term it's a more lucrative model all around for the UFC to use it's power to get a big sponsorship deal in place and then pay each fighter a set amount based upon their placement on the card and the event itself.

ya if Dana is going to pay them more to sort of reemberse them for the money lost from sponsorship im OK with it.. but sponsors are a HUGE source of income for the lower tier fighters... this article seems sketchy but I hope this doesn't happen

When Dana White stops being president of the UFC (unfortunately not going to happen anytime soon) I am pretty sure that many many fighters and former fighters will bash him in a huge way.
Now they can not do that because they would lose their job, but when they are not afraid anymore of that, they will bash this bitch.

At the media luncheon, White explained that the uniform is meant to help fighters deal with an rapidly shrinking sponsorship market.

"It's not as big as everybody makes it out to be. Those are the guys that are making tons of money anyway, and they make big money on sponsorship. The lower level guys? They're not making a bunch from sponsorship. We just saw the thing go down with Mac Danzig. He said, 'I'm done. I don't want to deal with this anymore.'

Do you know how many fighters call me and say they don't want to deal with sponsorships anymore? What can you do? It's not as plentiful as everybody makes it out to be."

While White's reasoning may appear to be altruistic at face value, a big reason for sponsorship money drying up is the UFC's own "sponsorship tax," in which a company must pay ZUFFA for the right to sponsor a fighter inside the cage.

The rumored $100,000 yearly fee is subtracted from marketing budgets that would otherwise be given directly to fighters.

Yes, the argument could be made that the tax also protects fighters from sponsors who may not have the financial backing to actually pay on a contracted agreement, but in a sport where athletes cover the considerably high training costs themselves, every little bit helps.

Former UFC Middleweight title contender Nate Quarry hit the Underground Forum to offer his first hand experience of the UFC's handling of the sponsorship tax. Quarry retired in 2010 with a 7-3 record inside the Octagon. He also had a public spat with an approved sponsor, The Fight Mafia, who refused to pay on their contracted agreement.

When I signed with the UFC this is what I was told "We can't pay you much but you can have any sponsors you want."
Then: We need to approve your sponsors.
Then: You can't have any conflicting sponsors.
Then: You can't thank your sponsors after fights.
Then: We are not approving any sponsors that we don't like their product.
Then: Your sponsors have to pay us a fee of $50,000 for the pleasure to sponsor you.
Then: Your sponsors have to pay us a fee of $100,000 for the pleasure to sponsor you.

If a sponsor has a budget of 10k to sponsor a fighter, they are then out. If there are 5 shorts companies in the UFC you can only go to them for a sponsorship. If they have spent their budget or don't want to support an up and coming fighter they give you shorts instead of money. If you're fighting for $6,000 to show and fighting 3 times a year, even $500 makes a big difference. When there is no competition they don't have to pay you. I lost And1 as a sponsor when the UFC enacted the tax.

Already, some fighters have begun to speak out about the plans for a uniform. One of those fighters is Felice Herrig, who is a cast member of the upcoming 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).

Herrig protects her image and has created a brand for herself and sponsors that make her one of the few truly recognizable women in mixed martial arts (MMA). From her weigh in outfits to her appearance on fight night, everything is planned to optimize her brand.

Herrig took to instagram to voice her complaints.

"I design and custom make all my weigh in and fight outfits so for me this is a very big deal and a very big part of my brand and image.

A lot of fighters like myself get paid more money from sponsors and a lot is based on marketability and mother style I bring to weigh ins and also the fights. Taking that away takes a lot away from what they are trying to do as far as getting people hooked to WMMA.

It's called business and regardless of what some people might think there is a lot more to a fighters business than just the act of them playing their sport."

While Herrig has been the most vocal, in speaking with my own contacts within the industry, most share the same sentiment. These include sponsors, fighters, and managers who have all echoed that the uniform could do more harm than good.

As the uniform is being made by a major apparel company, it is unlikely that a competitor's logo makes it onto the fighters' shorts or t-shirt.

This is where things get dicey.

What exactly is the definition of a competitor? Will this company view Hayabusa or Venum as a competitor? Or will it only be other major companies? And in regards to placement of logos, most sponsor contracts have terms dictating which areas of shorts and shirts are available, with the butt being the most sought after placement.

One sponsor, who chose to remain anonymous, told me that "it changes the landscape and we don't know how until there are more specifics. It could be a very positive thing. Everybody will have to adjust in some way, from sponsors to fighters to managers. The details will be important. We'll see how it plays out."

That sponsor is correct. Until there are more details made available, it's all speculation at this point.

But one thing is certain. This is a pivotal time for the UFC, who have long sought to be accepted as a major sport. While the uniform could benefit the athlete monetarily, it will mostly serve as a way for the UFC to be viewed on the same level as the NFL and NBA, where uniforms are the norm.

"The thing about Nate Quarry is that he is an emotional guy. He doesn't understand how the business works. I love the guy, but he is a fucking idiot! The thing he doesn't know is that a bunch of And1 executives tried to rape his Mom, and murder a bunch of puppies, but I fought them off while riding my pet dragon. You don't hear Nate talking about that do you?!?! Probably because he is an ungrateful piece of shit. I think he is a great guy, but he has a bunch of problems that nobody knows about, and I would never tell a soul, but it's bad, man. It's drugs, he does tons of drugs, and he has a time machine that he uses to go back to hang out with his pal Hitler. They killed those puppies that I saved, and did a ton of drugs. Like I said, nobody is a bigger Nate Quarry fan than me. I just wish he would die, because that's what he deserves. Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!"-Dana White (tomorrow)

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta was clearly weary of discussing complaints about the company's business practices.

"This sport is in its infancy," said Fertitta. "And I'll admit that there is so much more to be done, but the media is focusing so much on the negative and there are far more positives out there in terms of what we have done for the sport and the fighters. You come to work every day and you kind of feel beaten down because it's something new [to complain about] every day."

"I'm not going to argue or counter every specific claim made by Nate Quarry on some website. I'm super proud of what we have done for our athletes, this sport and this company. Our track record is darn good as a whole and we have nothing to be embarrassed about.

"This fight Nate is talking about was so long ago and clearly the business wasn't where it is today. It was in its infancy and we were coming out of a period where we suffered millions upon millions in losses. It wasn't an insignificant amount of money. And I'll tell you this, Nate is a smart guy. Absolutely he is. He knew when he signed his contract exactly what he'd be paid."

In an interview with Iole, Quarry estimated that UFC fighters were paid just 1-2% of gross. Fertitta flatly denied the figure.

"That's not even close but I'm not going to go into specifics about it," said Fertitta. "I'm interested in how Nate Quarry knows so much about our business that he can say that. As I said earlier, though, fighter compensation has increased multiples upon multiples since we've gotten into the business and built it up to where it is today.

"We're very proud of what our athletes make. Granted, back in 2004, 2005, it was a different world. We weren't getting the revenues back then that we are today. We feel the fighters are getting their fair share, if not more."

"[Fighter payroll] has gone up significantly, and though I don't have it at the tip of my fingers, I can tell you it's gone up faster than the percentage of revenue growth. Fighter comp is growing at a faster rate than revenues."